The Pillars On Which We Built A Family
by rayne 24
Summary: "But that's the reality of it all, Alice."Bella said softly."He was mine from the very beginning just like she was." When cracks appear in the foundation on which you have built a family, how do you save that which you held closest to your heart?AH/OOC
1. It All Falls Down

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

_**The Pillars On Which We Built A Family**_

_**Chapter One: It All Falls Down.**_

_**Jasper's POV.**_

With a heavy sigh, I fell back into my chair, joining my hands so that my fingertips touched. It pained me greatly to step foot into this house without my daughter; without my precious Sophia.

The night I had just lived through had been hell to say the least. Being a military man, there was very little that could frighten me but when you get a call from your godfather telling you that your daughter had been admitted to the hospital for alcohol poisoning, your heart stops. The fear of not knowing if she would be okay paralysis you and the dread of having to face the fact that somewhere along the line that you failed your child leaves you in gut-wrenching pain.

Truly Sophia Alexis Whitlock was not my child by blood but she was my daughter and my baby girl in every other way that counts. I had made that very clear to her the day I asked her if I could adopt her. I had spoilt her beyond even her wildest dreams and loved her with no boundaries. She was my world and I made sure she knew it.

When my wife, Alice told me she had a daughter, I was stunned. Never in the three years off our courtship did she even hint to the fact that she had a child but when she confessed to me that Sophia existed, I silently pledged to give that little girl all that she could have desired but now when I was staring down the barrel of the hypothetical gun, I realized how much I had failed her; how much I had failed my darling Sophie.

_The first words my God-father said to me as I ran into his office were 'Two more ounces, Jasper and she would be dead.' The bluntness of that statement coupled with the fact that my daughter; my fourteen year old daughter had almost killed herself left me numb. I crumpled to the floor in his office. It was easy to ignore the pain that scorched through me when my knees hit the cold and unyielding terrazzo flooring but the pain in my heart…not so much._

"_When can I see her?" I choked out as my tears fell._

"_Now." He said; sympathy colouring his voice as he hooked his arms around me and helped me to stand. "But before you go, I want to tell you this. She's been asking for her mother."_

"_Alice isn't here?" I asked in outrage. The thought of my wife not being present at my daughter's bedside allowed unbridled rage and fury to course through me._

"_No she's here but Sophia does not want Alice anywhere near here. Any time Alice enters the room, Sophia starts screaming at her. I have never seen so much rage in Sophia. She doesn't have much strength. The fact that we had to pump her stomach should be an indication of how weak she is but she fights when Alice enters. Esme said that when Alice entered the room the first time, Sophia threw her phone at her and told her to call her mother. When Alice heard her demand, she literally paled. She tried to brush it of but the damage was done. Alice is hiding something, Jasper." He said as he threw on his lab coat._

"_Do you think that Alice isn't Sophia's mother?" I asked, shocked by what I was hearing._

"_No. When Esme told me that, I had Sophia's blood compared with the sample we have on file for Alice. She's her mother but haven't you wondered why, for the three years you were with Alice, that you never meet Sophia before the engagement party?" He asked as we walked down the corridor together._

"_No. I never have." I answered honestly._

"_Maybe you should." Was all he said as we entered my daughter's room and my thoughts on the matter ceased as I took a seat by my sleeping daughter's side._

It was only when I was kicked out of the hospital for the night did I contemplate what my Godfather had said and now as I sat in the quiet of my home; alone and without any interruptions did I make my decision.

Without shifting from my position, I reached out and picked up the phone at my side and called my always reliable employee, Jefferson Jenks.

"Goodnight, Mr. Whitlock." He answered on the first ring.

"Goodnight, Jenks. I am sorry about the late hour but I need for you to do a bit of investigating for me." I sighed heavily as I picked up a picture of Sophia that was next to me.

"Nonsense Mr. Whitlock. How can I help you?" He asked and in the background I heard the rustling of papers.

"I am assuming that you have heard about what has happened tonight?" I asked; my voice breaking at the thought of what had happened.

"Who hasn't?" He sighed heavily. "The daughter of the chairman and C.E.O of the world's largest mutli-national co-operative group is admitted to the hospital for alcohol poisoning. It's on every channel."

"Carlisle said two more ounces and she would be dead." I relayed. "But besides all that I need you to look into Sophia's life for me. I need to find out where she was before she came into my life."

"Interesting request, sir." He murmured. "Any reason as to why this is coming up now?"

"Sophia is acting up. She doesn't want Alice anywhere near her. According to Carlisle, Esme said she threw the mother of all tantrums when Alice arrived to see her. The doctors told Alice to stay out so that Sophia can rest. I just need this information to see if there is a reason behind it." I sighed heavily.

"I will get this to you as soon as I can."

"Thank you. I'll be at the office. Send whatever you find there." I said before hanging up the phone and then rushed through my dressing routine; hoping to spend a few hours in the office to distract my mind from the fact that my daughter was lying in a bed in the hospital until I can join her again.

.

.

.

"Is it true?" My brother, Peter asked as soon as he and my father burst through my office door.

"Yes." I responded gravely. "I was now going to call everyone." I said softly as I held up the receiver in my hand.

"How?" My father stuttered out as he dropped into one of the seats in front of my desk.

"I don't know. I haven't spoken to Sophia yet and Alice isn't saying anything." I answered.

"The poor dear. Where is she? Is Carlisle her doctor?" Peter questioned as he helped himself to some scotch.

"Yes, Carlisle is her doctor and he has her in a private room in the ward grandmamma sponsored. We'll have to do some damage control though. The media is going wild with this. I'm sorry father. I had no….." I started to say before he cut me off with a grunt.

"Jasper, son, let me handle the press. You take care of my granddaughter. We need to get to the bottom of what is causing Sophia pain before she does this again. Do you even have a hint as to what triggered it?" He asked as he passed a shaking hand through his graying hair.

"Esme apparently witnessed Sophia throw her phone at Alice and demand that she call her mother. I have Jenks looking into it."

"That's strange." Peter commented as he looked over at me.

"I know. Dad if you want, I'm heading back to the hospital to see if I could talk to Sophia….you could tag along." I said as I stood up.

"No, son. You go talk care of your little girl. I'll do some work here and then head over with your mother. And remember," he said as I bent down to hug him. "I love you." And just like that, with a few words uttered by Jonathon Whitlock, I found the strength to carry on.

.

.

.

It surprisingly did not take that long for me to get to Seattle Grace Memorial Hospital. I had to go through the back entrance due to the amount of paparazzi present. I knew that they wouldn't be allowed entry into the hospital but that did not stop my heart from clenching when I took in the sheer number of them present.

"Good morning Mr. Whitlock." One of the nurses greeted as I entered the hospital. "Sophia just got up. She should still be awake when you get there." She smiled as she pointed down the corridor.

"Thank you." I murmured as I all but sprinted down the corridor to get to my daughter.

However, I halted my steps when I saw my wife slumped onto the floor.

"She doesn't want to see me." Alice sighed as she looked up; her brown eyes filled with tears; the brown eyes I once fell in love with.

"Why?" I asked as I reached down to help her into a seat.

"I can't….. I just can't. God how I've screwed up." She cried out; allowing her head to fall back onto the wall with a resounding thud. "I screwed up my marriage and now I've screwed up my relationship with my daughter. God! Only if I hadn't been so jealous of her." She all but screamed.

"Who, Alice?" I asked somewhat harshly.

"No one." She responded hastily; her eyes wide with fear at the fact that she had let something slip.

"Alice!" I growled out. "What have you done?"

"Nothing." She squeaked out before she gathered her belongings and ran off.

After taking a few moments to gain control off myself, I made my way into Sophia's room. She was awake and was seemly engrossed in watching the latest antics of SpongeBob and Patrick.

"Princess." I murmured as I reached the side of her bed.

"Daddy." She responded as she turned her head to look at me. "I'm sorry daddy. I didn't mean to." She cried out as her hand reached out to hold onto my jacket.

"Oh princess." I cooed as I pulled her into my arms; allowing her to cry. "I'm here princess. I'm not angry and you have nothing to be sorry for."

"What happened, Sophia?" I asked when she finally settled down.

"Mother took me to some garden party at the Rochesters and was telling everyone how I was at the top of my class and was considering going to Harvard and how James asked me out. You know…the usual. I didn't take it on but then we were coming home and she started yelling at me about how I disappointed her and embarrassed her just because I told Jessica, Mrs. Françoise's daughter, that I couldn't go out with her this weekend. When we got to the apartment I asked her if I could still go send the weekend with Grandma and Grandpa Whitlock, she just tripped. She was so angry, daddy. She told me that she should have left me in the hospital after I was born or maybe get an abortion; that how she didn't want me." She cried out as she clung onto me.

"Your mother, Alice, said this to you?" I asked; both shocked and pained at what I was hearing.

"Yeah," she hiccupped. "She said she was young and stupid when she had me and that you wouldn't want me either 'cause I told her that I wanted to move back home with you. She said that you shared no blood with me so you wouldn't care; that you wouldn't be my daddy anymore."

"Okay, one thing at a time." I said as I exhaled a sharp breath. "If you want to move back home, Sophia, you can do just that. If that is what you want I will call your Auntie Rose and Auntie Char and ask them to move your stuff back from the apartment." I said as I looked at her.

"Please, dad. I don't want to live with her." She said as she cuddled closer to me as I wiped her tears.

"Fine I'll do that. Now, was the drinking in relation to what you just told me?" I asked as I played with her hair.

"Yeah. After she called me everything hurtful that she could think of, she left me by myself. I took a sip of some wine she had in the fridge and it helped clam me down and then one sip turned into two and before you knew it, I found myself in the liquor cabinet and I had the vodka in hand." She shuddered.

"Okay." I nodded thankful that Sophia was at least letting me in. "You know that is not happening when you move in. No alcohol until you're twenty-one." I said softly; placing a soft kiss on her head.

"No alcohol period, dad. I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Princess, it's okay but I want you to know that you will always be my little girl and I love you. Don't listen to Alice. I love you more than you could imagine. You're a Whitlock. I adopted you and in the eyes of the law you're just as much as mine as you are hers. Do you understand?"

"I'm not hers. She's not my mother." Sophia spat bitterly.

"Sophia Alexis! Where is that coming from?" I pulled back to look at her.

"She may have given birth to me but that's all she did." She replied, lowering her head.

"Princess, talk to me. What am I missing?" I asked as I took her hands in mine.

"I can't, daddy. I just can't. She would be so disappointed in me if she knew what I did." She mumbled as she turned away from me.

"Sophia…." I started to say only to be stopped.

"I'm sleepy, dad." She said abruptly.

"Okay, well I'll be here when you wake up. I love you princess." I whispered as I kissed her head.

"I love you too, dad." She said and without having to look at her, I knew that she was crying.

.

.

.

Giving her some space, I moved off the bed and made my way over to a chair placed at the corner of the room. I pulled out my phone to check on the company's operations as well as send a quick message to my sister and sister-in-law to have Sophia's things moved back to the house. Thankfully, they were both way ahead of me and already had most of her things already in her room. Peter and my brother-in-law, Emmett, both sent me a message saying that they were handing things at the office for me with my father even coming out of his retirement to handle some meetings. My mother was already on her way with some clothing for Sophia. After all of that, I called on one of the nurses and asked if Dr. Cullen was available. She in return, said she would page him and not even five minutes later, Carlisle walked in dressed in a pair of his signature scrubs.

"Spiderman?" I asked with a chuckle.

"The kids love it." He responded with a smile as he sat next to me.

"When can I take her home?" I asked after a few minutes of companionable silence.

"Tomorrow. We're waiting for her blood-alcohol levels to go down and then Dr. Norman will need to speak with her." He sighed. "Did she say anything?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "I got some things out of her. Apparently Alice went off again; insulted her….even went so far as to say she never wanted her. She said Alice even told her that I wouldn't want her; that she wasn't mine. Apparently that got to her the most and then she went for the alcohol. She said she had a glass of wine and then one turned to two and then she couldn't stop."

"So I take it the divorce is still full stream ahead?" He asked as he steepled his fingers.

"It always was." I groaned out. "But this is too much, padrino. How dare she say that to her? After everything I gave to them both, after all the love I showered them with…..how dare she say that to my daughter?"

"I know, son." He comforted as he placed his hand on my shoulder. "Did she talk about the tantrums?"

"I almost got her to talk but then she pulled away. I have Jenks looking into it, though. I asked Alice too. She mentioned that it would have all been different had she not been jealous of _her_."

"Who's _her_?" Carlisle asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know but Sophia mentioned a woman too. She said that the woman would be disappointed in her if she had known what she did."

"Seems this mystery woman may be the key to what is going on with Sophia." He commented just as I got a message.

Grumbling softly, I pulled out my phone to see that it was a message from Jenks.

"Jenks is here. Do you mind if I meet him in your office?" I asked as I stood.

"No, go ahead. Esme is on her way with lunch and I told her I'll be waiting in Sophia's room."

"Thanks." I murmured as I hightailed it out of Sophia's room and into Carlisle's office where Jenks was already waiting.

"So what do you have?" I asked; taking a seat on the couch.

"You're not going to like it." He commented before handing me a very thick file. "When Sophia was born, Alice didn't want her and dropped her off two weeks later at the home of a Charles and Renee Swan in Forks, Washington."

"Her parents? I thought she was the only one left in her family. Hence the reason why she had no family at the wedding." I asked; shocked at what I was hearing.

"Well she lied. Sophia lived there for ten years off her life, until Alice brought her into your family." He summarized.

"So the _she_ Sophie's been taking about is her grandmother?" I assumed.

"No. the _she_, Sophia's been taking about is her aunt, Isabella." He said handing me a picture of who I assumed was her aunt but what I held in my hand left me breathless.

"Gorgeous, isn't she. You are looking at Alice's younger sister. When Alice dropped off Sophia, Isabella was the one who for all intents and purposes became her mother. She was the one who did the late night feedings and doctor's appointments."

"She's the mother Sophia wanted Alice to call." I said softly to no one in particular.

"One could only assume so." Jenks said. "Sophia was ripped away from the only family she ever knew. Alice used money she got through you and dragged her sister through the mud to get Sophia back to play mummy knowing how much family meant to you all."

"Oh God. How is her family now?" I asked not even grasping all he was saying.

"Devastated. Shadows of their former selves from what I have heard. I even called the attorney who helped Alice get back Sophia. You know her, Maggie Wilson. She said that after having to watch two officers pull Sophia from Isabella's arms, she knew she had done the wrong thing but it was too late to do anything. The damage had been done."

"Thank you, Jenks." I said as I stood; picking up the file as well.

"Certainly, sir. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Yes." I swallowed hard. "See to it that the Swan family is brought over here and also see if Isabella is able to stay with us for a while."

"Off course and would it be too much of a bother if the Mrs. and I visit Sophia later? Catherine is insane with worry."

"Once she's awake." I said; shaking his hand and went off to look of Alice. Surprisingly, I didn't have to search long because I found her taking comfort from my family in the waiting room.

"Working when your daughter is in the hospital?" Alice sneered when I entered.

"No, Alice." I said as I passed her the file; indicating that she should open the file. "I was just collecting something from Jenks."

When she opened the file, I have the brief satisfaction at watching as fear filled her eyes as she looked at what I had given to her.

"So Alice," I said as I looked down at her; making no attempt to hide the fury in my eyes, "why don't you tell everyone about your family? Especially Isabella…. you know the sister who basically raised Sophia."


	2. The Words Of One Who Was Bitter

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

_**The Pillars On Which We Built A Family**_

_**Chapter Two: The Words Of One Who Was Bitter.**_

_**Jasper's POV.**_

Silence fell immediately after my revelation.

"Alice is that true?" My mother, Selena, asked; pulling back slightly to look at the conniving woman she held in her arms.

"And don't lie, Alice." My father interjected from where he sat across the room. "It will do you no good at this point in time."

"It's true." She murmured as she stood and walked over to the floor length windows. "Precious, prefect, lovable Isabella." She spat before turning back to my devastated family.

"As you all know, I was nineteen when I gave birth to Sophia. I have no idea who her father is. It was a one night stand with some douche bag." She snorted. "I found out I was pregnant two months after when Isabella come into my room asking if I had any tampons. I didn't even remember not having a period and it was only then I realized something was wrong. I confided in her what I thought was happening to me and she left to buy me a pregnancy test. It wasn't a shocker that when I took the test that I was pregnant. Isabella, the sweetheart that she was, stayed home with me that day. No one questioned her. In Forks she could blow up the hospital for all they care and catch her with the detonator in her hand and all she had to do was smile her pretty little smile and she got of scot free."

"You resented her." My sister, Rosalie, commented in a detached voice.

"Resent…no. I hated her. Anyway, when my parents came home that night, we settled down to have dinner. I had been talking up the courage to tell my parents that I was pregnant but little did I know Isabella had some news of her own. She may have been a clumsy little thing growing up, always in and out of the hospital with some injury but her voice. God! It was so beautiful; flawless. Anyway, apparently one day she was singing at school and the head of the art and drama department heard her. What we did not know was that she was a member of the Julliard Alumni who had traded in the hustle and bustle of the big city for small town life. The next day, she met Isabella and asked her to sing a song for her. Isabella never could say no and unknowingly, the woman recorded the song and sent to her friends sitting on the board of directors at Julliard. Two weeks passed and on the night I was going to tell my parents that I had screwed up my life, Isabella passes over a letter to my parents which said that Julliard was very interested in her and whenever she was ready, they had a spot waiting for her. The letter from the dean said and I quote 'beauty like that should not be kept hidden away.' She was fifteen with a life full of prospects and I was a nineteen year old college drop-out with a bastard child growing in my womb. So I did what any bitter person would do…..I hated her.

For weeks, I did not tell my parents about my pregnancy. I went to my doctor's visits where he did what needed to be done. It was easy to hide my baby bump. I didn't gain weight like everyone else. Only my stomach grew and hid it with loose tops but when you live in a small town nothing stays secret for long." She said bitterly as she slumped down on the floor still staring out the window.

"One of my mother's friends had seen me going to the doctor on a regular basis and one day they just happened to meet and the meddling woman asked my mother if I was alright. My mother obviously had no clue as to what the woman was talking about but when she found out, she called my father and told him to get home now; that they needed to talk to me immediately.

My father got home as soon as I got there and I could see my mother pacing in the living room.

"_Oh Alice, is everything okay?" My mother asked she pulled me into a hug._

"_Yes. Everything is fine." I responded; shocked that I was being hugged by my mother. I could not for the life of me remember when last she hugged me._

"_You sure? Mrs. Montgomery said she's been seeing you by the doctor's frequently." She commented pulling back from me to see my face._

"_No mom. I'm fine. Really." I said as I broke her hold on me and stepped away._

"_So why are you only going to the doctor, Alice? If something is wrong we need to know, sweetheart." My father said softly as he looked to me. "Baby girl talk to us. What's going on?"_

"_I'm not your baby girl. That's Isabella. Always has been." I spat out before even I realized what I was saying._

"_Alice!" My mother gasped. "What….?" She stuttered._

"_I'm sorry." I said. "I didn't mean it."_

"_Yes you did." My father said; his eyes wary. "It's not the first time I have heard you utter that statement and I highly doubt that it will be the last. Do you think we favor Bella, Alice? Do you think we love her more than you?"_

"_Isn't it obvious?" I sneered as I gracelessly plopped myself down onto the couch._

"_My God, Alice! You are not serious!" My mother said looking completely outrage by what I had said._

"_Now hold on Renee." My father said to my mother before turning back to me. "Why would you think that, Alice?"_

"_You're always doing something for her. You're always proud of her. She could ask for a kidney and you would ask if she wanted the right one or the left one._

"_I can't believe this is happening. You are nineteen years old Alice. Grow up just a bit." My mother shouted at me. "We're always proud of her because there is always a reason to be proud of her. She already on the honor roll and she just entered high school. She goes to church. She helps around the house. She helps whoever she can. She volunteers at the library. She's fifteen Alice and she has some much love in her heart that she gives it freely. People love her because of her heart. People would stop me on the streets to find out how she is going. She doesn't demand attention, Alice. It's quite the opposite. She hates all of it but she does what she does because she is genuinely a good person and people adore her because of it. How could your father and I not be proud of her? Should we ignore all of what she has done because you feel that she is being favored? Julliard is already waiting for her."_

"_Are you envious of what Isabella has done with her life so far?" My father asked calmly as my mother huffed from where she stood behind him._

"_What! No….There is no way in hell would I be jealous of Isabella!" I denied quickly._

"_Really….because it sure sounds that way." My mother sneered once more; open anger and disgusted painted on her face. "She is your sister, Alice. Your sister. How could you?"_

"_How could I what mother? You have never been proud of me. Not once and then Isabella comes in on her high horse being perfect and all and you throw petals on the floor as if the Queen of England is here. Why is she so special? What has she done that makes her so untouchable? I am your daughter too. Why can't you love me like that?" I cried out._

"_I don't know what rock you have been living under Alice to not see how much love your father and I have for you; how much love we shower you with. We always stood by your side whatever your decision was, we were there supporting you. We love you, Alice. When the doctor told me that I was pregnant with you, I cried for so long; overjoyed by the fact that I was getting a little girl. I was getting you. How could you have ever doubted our love for you?"_

"After that day, things changed slightly. My mother and father spent more time with me. They made an effort to show me that they cared for me. Isabella continued doing what she did and never resented the time that my parents spent with me. She made me feel childish and petty. I wanted her to throw a tantrum like I did, demand to get attention like I did but all she did was smile. She even told me that she was happy for me…she was happy to see that your parents were spending time with me."

"That must have made you feel petty." Rosalie snorted.

"It did but in my stupidity I just saw that as another stab at my imperfections and I kept on hating her." Alice said roughly.

"You are a moron." Charlotte said with a shake of her head. "I would kill to have a sister like that yet you want to kill your sister for being that way."

"I know that now." Alice sighed heavily. "Anyway back to the story…I was four months pregnant when my parents found out. My mother had unexpectedly barged into my room when I was changing. She saw my baby bump and that was when all hell broke loose. She grabbed my arm and dragged me down the stairs with only my jeans and a bra on."

"_Charlie!" My mother shouted as she rounded into the living room with me. "Look! Look at what Alice has done." _

"_Renee! What are you doing? Let the child put on some clothes." He said trying to pull me away from my mother but she held on; allowing her nails to dig into my skin._

"_No Charlie, look. Look at the reason why Alice has been going to the doctor so often." My mother yelled as she pushed away the hand I was using to hide my stomach."_

"_What?" My father stuttered. "Alice, are you pregnant?"_

_I could do nothing more than lower my head in complete and utter shame._

"_You ask us to be proud of you; to show you how much we are proud of you but then you do this." He muttered quietly before turning back to me. "How many months are you?" He asked before sinking down into his recliner, a defeated and broken look plastered on his face._

"_Four months." I whispered; my quiet voice reverberating throughout the enclosed space._

"_Four months?" My mother parroted back with a grief-stricken look on her face. "Who is the father?"_

"_I don't know."_

"_You don't know. You don't know." She repeatedly said; her volume rising with each syllable. "How in heavens name do you plan on taking care of a child, Alice? You don't have job. You dropped out of college. How will you be able to financially support a child Alice? We are not talking about spending a couple hundreds of dollars. We are talking about tens of thousands of dollars. We're talking about hospital visits and school books. We're talking food and diapers and clothes. And we're talking about maturity….are you mature enough to take care of a child, Alice?"_

"_What is that supposed to mean?" I spat._

"_What I mean is that at nineteen you are still jealous of your fifteen year old sister." She said; equally as heated as me._

"_Well then maybe she should raise this child if she is so perfect." I huffed before turning to leave._

"_You know what I have had enough of you and you stinking attitude…..Get out. Get the hell out of this house right now, Alice." My mother yelled._

"_Mom." I said softly as fear griped onto me. The thought of leaving my parents' home left me breathless. The thought of leaving my parents' home, four months pregnant and without a place to go left me numb. _

"_Renee." My father tried to interject._

"_I don't want to hear it. She has to go." She said with finality as she walked out._

"With tears streaming down my face, I turned to leave only to run into Isabella who stood in the corridor with one of my shirts in her hands and with her own tears very much present on her face. Hastily, she shoved the shirt into my arms and ran out after my mother. She also never said a word again to me. I could only assume she heard what I had said about her.

While packing my things, my mother came back to apologize to me and to tell me to stay; that she wanted me to stay so I did. My parents started to support me. They helped with some finances and also helped me to get a job. Everything was looking up and looking good."

"So why did you run?" my father asked, his face showing how tired he was of this conversation.

"After Sophia was born, my parents backed of and allowed me to do everything baby related. When I had to work, I had a babysitter come over. They were very hands off; making me shoulder all the responsibility of being a parent."

"They should have. She was your responsibility." My godmother, Esme stated.

"I know that but I was still caught up in my beliefs that my parents owed it to me to help me out. The crying and the late night feeding wore me out and I wanted a break, so one day, three weeks after, I woke up before anyone else and just left. I knew they would take care of Sophia so I wasn't troubled but what I didn't expect was the fact that I would enjoy having too much fun."

"So one day of fun and being free from responsibility was enough to turn you away from your daughter?" I asked; the disgust I felt resonating with each word.

"Yes." Alice responded bluntly.

"Good Lord in the heavens above." My mother cried out. "Did you ever look for her?"

"No. I didn't. I knew the kind of the people my family was so I knew they'd look after her. What I didn't anticipate was the fact that Isabella would have been the one to take care of Sophia."

"So why go back?" I asked. "Why go back for Sophia? Why rip her away from the only mother she knew? Why rip her away from the only family she knew? And why tell me your family was dead?"

"You. You were the reason I went back for Sophia. I saw how you were with your nieces and nephews. I knew if I introduced you to Sophia that I would have you wrapped around my little finger." She shrugged; not bothered by the look of utter disgust she received from every member of my family.

"So you destroyed your family because you loved Jasper?" Emmett asked with a bewildered look on his face. He was always slower on the draw than the others but lethal in a courtroom.

"No, I destroyed my family because I loved Jasper's money. I had finally one upped Isabella. I was richer than her. I could have had anything I wanted; all I had to do was ask.

"Why confess now?" I asked.

"Because I now realize that there was no competition between Isabella and me. It was me being stupid, immature and petty. I should have been the one to love my sister the way I knew she loved me."

"It took you a very long time to realize that, Alice." The deep baritone of a much older man said from the doorway. "You could have saved your mother and me a lot of pain and your sister a lot of tears."

"I'm sorry but who are you?" My father asked a bit roughly.

"My apologizes." He murmured before pulling a pretty fragile looking woman into his side. "I am Charles Swan and this is Renee Swan. We're Alice's parents."

"Mom. Dad." Alice said as she jumped to her feet. "What happened to you?" She said as she took in the appearance of her tired and wary parents both aged by grief and time.

"This is what loss does to someone." Her mother murmured. "Loss of a child. Loss of a grandchild. Loss of faith. Loss of hope." She said softly as she grasped out her husband.

"Where is Isabella?" Alice asked as her own tears fell.

"Where a mother should be when their child is in the hospital." Her father said before leading his wife into the only empty seat in the room.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Alice asked a bit befuddled.

"It means," Jenks said as he walked into the room; his arms filled with bags, "that Isabella is at Sophia's bedside; at her daughter's bedside."


	3. The Joy In Simplicity

AN: I apologize for the delay in the chapter. I am presently suffering from a very bad ear infection. Also one of my wisdom teeth has decided to make an appearance so it's difficult for me to concentrate at this point in time. I wanted to thank everyone for the reviews. I loved them all.

**The Pillars On Which We Built A Family.**

**Chapter Three: The Joy In Simplicity.**

**Jasper's POV.**

As soon as I knew where Isabella was, I took of at full speeds, running down the corridor to Sophia's room. Her door was slightly ajar and I quickly entered the room only to be stopped dead in my tracks as I felt my breath leave me.

There cradled to the chest of an angel, my daughter lay sobbing.

"It's alright, darling. I'm not mad. Why would you even think that?" Isabella cooed to Sophia as she stroked her hair. "I just want you to get better and then everything will be alright." She said again, oblivious to my presence.

Not wanting to interrupt their bonding, I quietly snuck further into the room and took, what was now my designated seat and observed Isabella. When Jenks first showed me her picture, I was stunned. I never thought that it was possible for one woman to be that beautiful but now as I looked at her, I could not deny how truly beautiful she was.

Her waist length, coffee brown hair, fell down along her back in gentle waves. Her skin looked like porcelain without a blemish or mark. Her lips were pink, soft and inviting but her eyes were what drove me mad. Framed by her thick eyelashes, her eyes, a grayish-green in colour, seemed to smolder you.

Silence soon fell as Sophia fell back to sleep. Isabella detangled herself from Sophia and then made her way over to where I was sitting.

"Thank you, Jasper." She murmured as she sat.

"How do you know who I am?" I questioned

"Jenks… and CNN." She laughed quietly; her voice reminding me of wind chimes.

"Oh." I responded; still dazed by her laughter. "What? What can you possibly be thanking me for and how did you even know that I was here?" I asked a bit stunned.

Smiling softly she looked over at me before responding.

"I saw your reflection on the window when you walked in and I'm thanking you for taking care of Sophia for the last four years. Jenks told us everything."

"Isabella, you have nothing to thank me for. I, however, should apologize to you. I had no idea what Alice had done. Had I know, I would have looked for your family a long time ago." I said softly.

"You are not to blame. So please don't carry around any unnecessary guilt. And please call me Bella. I'm only Isabella when I'm in trouble with the parental units."

"Well then Bella are you staying with us for a while?" I asked as I discreetly switched off my phone; not wanting to be interrupted.

"I am but so are my parents. I hope you don't mind. It's just we can't bear to part with Sophia now that we have her back in our lives." She said quietly as sadness seeped into her voice.

"Bella, can you tell me something?" I asked softly as I turned to face her.

"Off course." She responded raising her head to look at me.

"Why didn't you all come before this? Alice told me you all were dead and I foolishly believed her but why didn't you all look for Sophia?" I asked the one question that had been burning in my mind.

"We looked and we tried to come but Alice hired a guy, James Nomad, I think his name was… but anyway he beat us at every turn. A couple months ago, my dad came to Seattle to see if he could get to see you. He actually scheduled a meeting with you and all your family members so that if he could get through to you, he may be able to talk to your family. James got wind that my father was in town and then the next day we get a call saying my dad was in the hospital. We sent letters. We tried calling. We sent fax. Everything. And nothing worked. The police here were no help. They would all tell us the same thing. We were the extended family members. Alice was the legal parent. There was nothing we could do."

"James Nomad as in blond hair, blue eyes, pale skin?" I asked; a bit angry by what I was hearing

"Yeah, why?" She asked softly.

"He works at the company. He's actually the head of our legal department. His wife is my secretary."

"Well that would explain the phone calls that never went through and the fax and emails that went missing as well as how he knew when my father was in town." Bella nodded.

"But it doesn't explain why he would work for Alice in the first place." I pointed out.

"Can we not talk of those things now?" Bella asked quietly, looking at me through the corner of her eye.

"Off course. I apologize. It's just…"

"You've been wronged and you want to get to the bottom of it. I get it. Its just talking about the many ways that Alice has hurt my family….our families is not on my list of topics I would like to spend my day talking about." Bella smiled.

"You are one of a kind." I said smiling at her.

"How so?" She asked as she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her head.

"A rational person would be hunting her down now." I commented.

"True but I am a mother. My place is here." She said with an air of finality. "You may agree with me when I say that blood doesn't always make the bond."

"I agree." I said softly. "Did she tell you what happened?"

"She gave me a brief overview. She knows that I don't think very highly of underage drinking. I always tried to put the fear in her mainly because my mother did the same thing to me. In my home lying and theft is a greater sin than murder. My mother always said that is I am ever charged with theft or perjury to never call her. She would leave me in jail but if it was murder then call. It might have been a mistake." She laughed.

"That doesn't make much sense." I commented with a raised eyebrow.

"Doesn't it? As decent human beings we all know murder is wrong and even fear the consequences of an action like that. Not every one likes the idea of being given the chair. So now take another act…like underage drinking. If you, as a parent hold an even higher belief on some like that then a decent human being is going to fear the consequences of that action even more than the consequences of murder. So they would never do it. Get what I'm saying?"

"Slightly."

"I know explaining it is kinda hard but you see the remorse she felt for her actions tonight. She won't be doing any underage drinking again." Bella stated before her stomach growled loudly.

"Hungry I take it?" I said as I smirked at her.

"Famished but I can't pull myself away from her." She sighed.

"What if I get us some food? Would that be okay?" I asked softly.

"That could work." She smiled, "but do you think that you could get something for Sophia too. She'll be hungry when she gets up."

"No problem." I said as I stood to walk out the door only to run into Carlisle.

"Son, I was now going to talk to you. Is Isabella with you?" He asked softly as he ran a shaking hand through his already wild hair.

"Yes. I was now going to get us some food. Is something wrong?" I asked turning to look at his very troubled face.

"No. I just wanted to know if you all wanted some food. Your mother ordered from Carlinto's. I'll bring some back for you. "He said with a smile.

"Oh and could you bring some back for Sophia. Bella demand it."

"Bella?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

"She demanded that too." I smiled as I walked back into the room. "Food's on its way.' I said to Bella as she looked at me with a raised eyebrow at my sudden reentry. "My godfather and Sophia's doctor, Carlisle said he would be bringing some for us."

"Oh. That's kind of him." She said with a smile.

"Yes it is. So Isabella, while we wait can I ask you some questions?"

"Like twenty questions. What is this high school?" She laughed beautifully.

"No." I chuckled out my own response, "but I'd like to get to know you." I said softly.

"Okay. Fire away Mr. Whitlock." She said as she sunk down into her seat; pulling her feet to her chest.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Hot and heavy pretty fast." She smirked. "And no." She said simply before Carlisle walked in with the food. "Oh and game over. That was pretty fast." She chuckled as Carlisle neared us.

"No this is intermission." I said flashing her a smirk of my own.

"Chicken all round. I hope that's alright." He said holding out the bag to me.

"Thank you." Bella said as she stood. "Not for the food but for taking care of Sophia."

"Ah Isabella…." the older man said in compassion. "You are truly a breath of fresh air. A mother through and through. There is no need to thank me, deary. Sophia will be alright. You have some food and get some rest. I know you won't leave so I'll have two recliners brought in for the both of you." He said as he made to leave. "Enjoy your dinner."

"He's nice." She commented as she sat back down. "Oh thank you." She said opening the box of food that I had just passed to her.

"He is." I said as I inhaled the deep aromas of some good Italian cooking and moaned causing Bella to laugh.

"Is there a problem, Ms Swan?" I asked as I started to eat.

"No." She replied softly but before she could even take her first mouthful of food, Sophia got up.

I then looked on as Isabella, ignoring her own hungry, lowered her food back down to the table, picked up Sophia's and made her way over to her. Knowing how hungry Bella was, I was amazed by what I saw. I looked on as Bella settled down onto the side of Sophia's bed and with a genuine and heartfelt smile on her face, she began to feed Sophia.

Soon my own food joined Bella's as I took in what I saw. I saw my daughter smiling and for the first time since I meet Sophia four years I ago, I saw my daughter smiling with her mother.


End file.
